Mitsubishi WD-73727 Flickering/color displacement

So, I bought this WD-73727 Mitsubishi 73 inch DLP off of some guy on Craigslist that was moving out of state for $375. He wanted $700 for it, but when I showed up and plugged it in it did not work. The l.e.d. on the front of the TV indicated it had a bad bulb. I ended up talking him down to $375 since I had to buy a bulb, and we made the deal. He told me that he had owned it for two years, and had no problems with it other than having to replace the lamp once. He said he really liked the TV, but could not take it with him, so he had to sell it.

I got the TV home thinking I had just made a slammer deal. I was going to purchase a bulb, and was going to watch the Super bowl on a 73 inch TV!! I purchased a new bulb ($200) in town, and installed it. I powered the set up; bulb seems to be working great...... but minor problem, the whole TV flickers! It seems to only have blue and green colors coming and going on random parts of the screen while it appears the screen is split down the middle, while independently jumbling, glitching, and flickering. I can still see media on all inputs, the tv just acts like its getting a scrambled signal. If I dissconnect all inputs....the same thing.

I can bring up all of the menu options, and see them, but it is difficult to look at the screen because of it flickering so much, almost like a strobe light in certain places. I hooked up all inputs with the same results. everything played, but the screen flickers with the color all screwed up.

I found nothing in the owner's manual that would help, so got on the net and started researching. I downloaded the service manual. I went through all of the troubleshooting procedures in the service and owners manuals, and nothing. Another interesting fact, is if I leave the tv on long enough it will just shut down on its own. When attempting to get an error code from the tv when this happens, it just flashes #12, (nothing wrong). So, what's next?

After reading multiple posts in multiple forums, I have tried everything. I have re-seated the dvi cable going to the light (optical) engine with no good results. I have done manual hard resets on the TV. I have reset all possible options to factory default. I have made sure that all cooling fans were operating. At this point the problem is looking more and more like a light engine problem. Unfortunately, I cannot find anywhere on the net that has the part # 938P019010 in stock. I have no problem fixing this myself, but need access to the part. Do you know where I could get one? Do you think something else on the TV may be at fault? after the new bulb, I now have a $575 paperweight, and am starting to think I took a bad gamble trying to fix this thing. I have no problem putting some money into the set, but man....I'm getting closer and closer to the cost of a brand new 73" DLP.

Do you think I have a shot at getting Mitsubishi to repair it for free since they lengthened the warranty on the sets for defective light engines? The manufacture date on the TV was Oct. 2006. So I am hoping it was not purchased till early to mid 2007. However, since I purchased it second hand I do not have a receipt. Would this be a problem? I have written the guy I purchased it from to get the receipt, and he is trying to find it with no luck yet.

Please help.......any suggestions? Am I on the right track? Is this a lost cause? Will my dreams of having a 73" TV in my living room die? Please help.

I would suggest selling it for parts as Mitsubishi projection TV's are noted to have a cascade of failing parts. Your money would be much better spent on a new flat panel display from a reputable manufacturer...

__________________It's always time for pieLive everyday as if it was your last and plan on living forever...

However, I might rethink this whole purchase if you wanted to buy some Mitsu parts! lol!

Recent update.....

A Mitsu authorized service tech came out and diagnosed it with a bad light engine. As long as I can come up with a purchase reciept it will be covered under warranty. If not, it's about a $700 repair bill. After it gets fixed, I'm taking bets as to how long it might last till the light engine needs to be fixed again or another bulb goes out. Any takers???

Maybe I will just sell it while its working, and purchase something else. I like the idea of a large screen. Do any other manufactures make anything bigger than a 65" screen that would be of any quality?

Brent,
I had the same problem with a WD-73732.
After about 45 minutes to an hour, the picture would flicker, and skin tones would be purple/blue. The problem is the color wheel. More specifically, an optical sensor on the side of the color wheel. All the heat inside the housing causes the sensor to fail. I changed out the sensor, and my set works great. Next step is to modify color wheel cover for better cooling. I can give you more details how to test this, but it is a bit of work.

Brent,
I had the same problem with a WD-73732.
After about 45 minutes to an hour, the picture would flicker, and skin tones would be purple/blue. The problem is the color wheel. More specifically, an optical sensor on the side of the color wheel. All the heat inside the housing causes the sensor to fail. I changed out the sensor, and my set works great. Next step is to modify color wheel cover for better cooling. I can give you more details how to test this, but it is a bit of work.

i have WD-73727 with the same problem. How and where can i find this optical sensor? I have searched with no luck on scematics or parts to buy. my tv has worked problem free for 4 years and now cant watch it without an intermission so it can cool off.

This was a tough sensor to find. Luckily, I was able to experiment with different ones until I found the one that worked. The other problem is that the part is no longer made, so you've got to find someone with stock on hand. I found some at a local supplier, and I'm trying to get a bunch more from him. If I get them I'll let you know. I looked all over the web, and no one had them. I don't have the part number with me. I'm at work right now. The other thing you're going to want to do is modify the color wheel cover for better cooling. I made an aluminum cover with heat sink fins and a fan.
You don't want to blow air through that chamber. Also, adding a fan to the set's back cover can't hurt. While I had my color wheel out, I cleaned it with 90% isopropyl alcohol and a micro fiber cloth. I tried a lens cleaning cloth, but it left streaks. Cleaning the wheel really improved the colors, but you've got to be real careful. You can't buy replacement wheels. As far as the color wheel cover goes, I'd make one out of thin aluminum, paint the underside flat black, and mount a couple of CPU coolers on top, and wire the fans to a 12v wall adapter. I was lucky enough to have a friend with access to a CNC milling machine. He made my cover. Attached is a shot of the image my optical engine projecting on my work shop ceiling after the repair. The optical engine is on the bench. Bear in mind that this picture is 9 feet wide. I took this shot lying on my back on the floor!

My TV is 4 years old and just started having this same issue. What type of local supplier would carry this part?

Quote:

Originally Posted by liberator21

This was a tough sensor to find. Luckily, I was able to experiment with different ones until I found the one that worked. The other problem is that the part is no longer made, so you've got to find someone with stock on hand. I found some at a local supplier, and I'm trying to get a bunch more from him. If I get them I'll let you know. I looked all over the web, and no one had them. I don't have the part number with me. I'm at work right now. The other thing you're going to want to do is modify the color wheel cover for better cooling. I made an aluminum cover with heat sink fins and a fan.
You don't want to blow air through that chamber. Also, adding a fan to the set's back cover can't hurt. While I had my color wheel out, I cleaned it with 90% isopropyl alcohol and a micro fiber cloth. I tried a lens cleaning cloth, but it left streaks. Cleaning the wheel really improved the colors, but you've got to be real careful. You can't buy replacement wheels. As far as the color wheel cover goes, I'd make one out of thin aluminum, paint the underside flat black, and mount a couple of CPU coolers on top, and wire the fans to a 12v wall adapter. I was lucky enough to have a friend with access to a CNC milling machine. He made my cover. Attached is a shot of the image my optical engine projecting on my work shop ceiling after the repair. The optical engine is on the bench. Bear in mind that this picture is 9 feet wide. I took this shot lying on my back on the floor!

I don't think any local supplier would have it unless you have a well stocked supplier that served the TV/VCR repair industry, and had old stock on hand. Mouser and Digi-Key don't have it, and I don't know of any sub. I'm waiting on some from a guy I know who had a few.

However, I might rethink this whole purchase if you wanted to buy some Mitsu parts! lol!

Recent update.....

A Mitsu authorized service tech came out and diagnosed it with a bad light engine. As long as I can come up with a purchase reciept it will be covered under warranty. If not, it's about a $700 repair bill. After it gets fixed, I'm taking bets as to how long it might last till the light engine needs to be fixed again or another bulb goes out. Any takers???

Maybe I will just sell it while its working, and purchase something else. I like the idea of a large screen. Do any other manufactures make anything bigger than a 65" screen that would be of any quality?

Thanks

Hi,It does sound like your problem could be between the color wheel or DMD.The color wheel is a rotating disc that has a gamma of colors it spins at high rpms.The light of the lamp goes through it to create the colors on your tv.When it starts to go bad you will get color distortion ,black and white picture and sometimes you will hear humming noises.This is how the DMD works: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dlp1.htm Basically the light of the lamp goes through a tunnel that carries a color wheel(rotating disc with a gamma of colors that creates the colors on your tv)then the light of the lamp goes through the DMD board which is a chip composed of around 2 million pixels that creates the images and colors.When it starts to fail it will create black bars,pixelation,color distortion or white dots on screens.Have a bless one!

I am also very interested in learning the exact part you used to fix this issue. I have a wd-52628 that apparently has other light engine problems and am going to see if I can solve the issue by swapping parts.

I got this TV WD-73727. Owner said it needs a new light engine. The picture pulses almost like a strobe light effect just not as severe. All the colors are fine everything works. Could it be a failing voltage regulator somewhere that controls the timing for the color wheel or something? It would be a shame to waste money when I can do a little soldering for a small component.